When my friend Jennifer and I first visited this beautiful island, it was for a photography retreat back in March. The retreat was more centered around couples and weddings, but Jennifer, a dance photographer, couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Not only did she take some amazing photos, but she was also scouting for what would eventually become this trip... a visit back to the island with a dancer, creating a masterpiece of choreography in some of the most beautiful places São Miguel has to offer.

Before planning the trip, Jennifer wanted to know what emotion people used to describe São Miguel. She polled those of us who had traveled there in March, along with some of the friends we met along the way who call the island home.

A common response was peacefulness. The lush greens, the crashing waves, the slowness of the people and the pace of everyday life... there is something incredibly peaceful about this place.

Home was another answer. Some who were born and raised on the island said it, as did people who had migrated there from somewhere else. São Miguel simply feels like home. Somehow, I understood exactly what they meant after spending only four days there during my first trip.

Isolation was a perspective that really stuck with me, too. There is a feeling of being so incredibly small in the presence of these vast landscapes... an island unto itself in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Cue Carmen, our dancer.

Jennifer asked her incredibly talented friend Carmen to choreograph a phrase embodying these emotions. A series of movements telling the story of what it feels like to be on this island... peacefulness, home and isolation.

And then we brought that phrase back to São Miguel.

This trip allowed us plenty of time to explore, shop for local goodies to bring home, fill our bellies with the most delicious food and drinks and reconnect with some of the people we met during our first visit. But mostly, we were there to capture Carmen’s phrase in so many different and equally breathtaking locations... some we were revisiting from March and others we were discovering for the first time.

Day One

Our adventure began with a red eye that was delayed... and delayed again... until finally, we boarded and were on our way.

We arrived around 9:30 in the morning, Azores time, and checked into our home for the weekend, Convento de São Francisco in Vila Franca do Campo. The former convent is filled with so much beautiful architecture, stone walls, little pockets of light and a rooftop view that could make your heart stop. We explored with Carmen, taking some shots along the way.

After getting settled and taking a much-needed nap, we were ready for some lunch. We took a short drive to Ponta Delgada and stopped at Louvre Michaelense. Unfortunately, we arrived about 30 minutes after they stopped serving lunch, so sweet treats and drinks it was!

We explored the town square and popped into Comur, an adorable sardine shop, where we got to see Rita, a friend who works there and modeled for us during our first trip. Since sweets weren’t quite enough to sustain us, we grabbed some pizza at a nearby café before getting ready for our first big shoot of the weekend. And this one involved fire.

We met another friend from our March trip, Zipporah, or Z, at Lagoa das Sete Cidades. Z is a local floral artist, a fantastic bridal model... and also a fire dancer.

Sete Cidades was the perfect backdrop, with its famous blue and green lakes divided by a narrow stretch of land. Z taught Carmen how to safely fire dance and then gave us a demonstration before Carmen had her turn. Both women were incredible, and of course, learning something like fire dancing also leaves plenty of room for laughing and goofing around.

We also had a surprise, yet somehow completely expected, visitor... a stray cat. There are strays all over the island, which obviously I love. We named this little guy Prosciutt, because naturally we left him with a parting gift of prosciutto.

Once our demonstration was over, we headed to Mosteiros and its natural pools formed within the volcanic rock. As the sun began to disappear, Z and Carmen took turns putting on a fire show for us and the people watching nearby.

The contrast was unreal... hot fire against cool water, surrounded by dark volcanic rock with waves crashing all around them as the sun went down.

It was such a unique thing to witness and photograph.

After that, it was finally time to head back to the convent and get some much-needed sleep.

Day Two

Day two brought us back to several of the places we fell in love with during our first trip.

We started at Cerâmica Vieira, a family-owned ceramic business that feels almost like a working museum. Everything is handmade and painted there, and watching the process behind these beautiful pieces makes them even more special.

From there, we headed to Chá Gorreana tea plantation.

Rows and rows of green tea leaves stretch across the landscape and seem to go on forever. Jennifer had purchased a custom skirt for Carmen to wear, and watching her run and dance through those rows in light pink and white against all that green was exactly what we had envisioned.

Carmen performed her phrase in a few different spots throughout the plantation, and a refreshing sun shower gave us a little relief from the roughly 90% humidity. Afterward, we sat on the back deck with iced teas before heading out for lunch.

And not just any lunch. Lunch was at my favorite restaurant in the world... Mercado da Vila in Vila Franca do Campo.

I had duck breast that practically melted in my mouth, an amazing local red wine and a dessert aptly named “Banana Drool,” which may genuinely be THEE greatest thing I have ever tasted.

With very full and happy bellies, our next stop was Muro das Nove Janelas in Sete Cidades.

The old aqueduct has become this sprawling living wall covered in greenery and moss. The entire area feels like something from another world, especially when the fog rolls through the forest.

Carmen wore a rust-red dress that stood out beautifully against all of that green as she performed her phrase through the fog, wind and windows of the wall.

And somehow, while we were there, we bumped into the very person who introduced us to this location in March... our former driver and tour guide, Tiago!

He was working, but managed to make about 15 minutes for us, so we met up at a café by the lakes to catch up.

Then it was back down from the foggy, windy mountains and all the way to Mosteiros.

We grabbed a sweet treat right on the beach and somehow ran into yet another familiar face, Priya, who had modeled for us in March. After taking a few photos on the black sand beach, we headed up to the cliffs for the shoot we had really been waiting for.

The cliffs of Mosteiros have some of the best sunset views I have ever seen.

Carmen first wore one of my dresses, Venus... a gold piece adorned with celestial stars and moons, sequins and beaded sleeves. She danced as the glowing sun reflected off the dress, making the entire thing shimmer against the landscape.

As the sun dropped lower and the colors in the sky began to change, we simplified everything.

Carmen changed out of the dress, and we gave her one long piece of teal silk to move with in the wind.

That was it.

A dancer, the wind, a piece of fabric, the cliffs and the sunset.

Simple... but absolutely magical.

On our way home, we stopped in Ponta Delgada for a delicious meal at Café Central before heading back to the convent to rest up for another full day.

^bts photos by Baby Viking Photography

Day Three

Day three started early as we headed out in search of a secluded waterfall for our next session with Carmen.

We weren’t convinced our rental car would make it back up the steep, winding roads leading down to the location, so we decided not to risk it. We parked near the top and began the long journey down on foot.

We ventured off the beaten path and through the woods until we finally reached our waterfall.

September isn’t the wet season, so the waterfall wasn’t flowing with quite the strength it might at other times of the year, but it was still a beautiful backdrop. Carmen, dressed in flowing green silk, performed her phrase for us once again, surrounded by rocks, water and greenery.

Once we finished shooting, I decided there was no way I was leaving without getting into that water.

I sat underneath the waterfall and let the cold water cool me down before swimming out into the natural pool. There is one image from this trip that I don’t even need a camera to remember... floating in that water, looking straight up at the sky.

It was amazing.

^bottom 4 photos by Baby Viking Photography

And it was exactly what we needed before realizing we now had to make the entire trek back UP those steep, winding hills.

That part was significantly less magical.

After the waterfall and a quick rest, we headed to Furnas for lunch at A Quinta. Then, because apparently the best remedy for an early morning hike is sitting in very hot water for 90 minutes, we headed to Poça da Dona Beija for a soak in the thermal springs.

Afterward, we returned to the convent and all jumped into the pool for another relaxing swim.

In the early evening, we had a quick visit from Eleni, another friend we met during our March trip. It was brief, but I was so happy we were able to see her again.

Then we got back to shooting.

We photographed Carmen around the convent in my Venus dress. The building itself offers endless inspiration... old stone walls, windows spilling little pockets of light into the rooms, stairways, textures and architectural details everywhere you look.

It felt like every corner offered us something different.

Afterward, we went back to Mercado da Vila for dinner because, yes, the food really is THAT good.

For our last night at the convent, we brought a bottle of wine back with us and spent the evening sitting around, drinking and talking before eventually accepting that we needed to pack and get some sleep.

Because our final morning was going to start very, very early.

Day Four

4:30 AM.

For our final morning on São Miguel, we got up before the sun and ventured toward the eastern side of the island to Praia do Lombo Gordo.

Another hike awaited us, although thankfully this one was only about 100 steps down to the black sand beach... practically nothing compared to our waterfall adventure the day before.

When we reached the bottom, the beach was completely untouched. Carmen walked out onto the black sand, and hers were the only footprints.

For the final time on this beautiful island, she performed her phrase. She wore the custom skirt she had danced in among the rows of tea at Gorreana. This time, instead of endless green surrounding her, there was black sand beneath her feet and the Atlantic Ocean stretching out in front of her.

We watched as she danced to the ocean while the sun rose over the Atlantic.

Peacefulness. Home. Isolation.

The same movements we had photographed over and over again, yet somehow they looked and felt completely different in every place we brought them.

And then, just like that, the final shoot was over. We took in the sunrise for a little longer before making our way back up those stairs and returning to the convent for one last breakfast together.

^bts photos by Baby Viking Photography

After breakfast, I packed, checked out and headed to one of the parts of this trip I had been looking forward to the most... my tattoo appointment.

Madi of Pain & Disaster Tattoos had been recommended to me by Sarah, who planned our original retreat in March. Unfortunately, Madi had been out of the country during that first visit, and honestly, our schedule was so packed I probably wouldn't have found the time anyway.

This time, it worked out perfectly.

It was so nice sitting with Madi, chatting and getting to know her while she created something permanent to commemorate what this island has come to mean to me.

A whale. Waves. A sunset. Three simple pieces representing so much of the beauty I have found in the Azores and the memories I have made here. When we were finished, Madi was even kind enough to drive me to meet the ladies for our final lunch together.

We ate at Saca-Rolhas Taberna, where I managed to sneak in a little more duck before leaving the island. I also got one last quick visit with Delphine, another friend from our first trip.

And then... it was time to head to the airport.

Until Next Time, São Miguel

When I traveled to São Miguel in March, it was my first time ever leaving the United States. I had no idea what to expect from the island, the people I would meet or how much those four days would stay with me. Six months later, I was back.

This time, I got to revisit places that already held memories while creating entirely new ones. We returned to the tea fields, the lakes, the foggy forests and the cliffs of Mosteiros. We found waterfalls, watched the sunrise from an untouched black sand beach, soaked in hot springs, ate incredible food, drank local wine, laughed until we were exhausted and reconnected with people who had gone from strangers to friends in such a short amount of time.

And through all of it, we watched Carmen tell the story of São Miguel through movement.

Peacefulness.

Home.

Isolation.

I think what made this project so beautiful was realizing that those words can almost seem contradictory. How can somewhere feel isolating and still feel like home? How can crashing waves, towering cliffs, thick fog and an island sitting alone in the middle of the Atlantic feel peaceful? And yet... it does.

^bts photos of me by Baby Viking Photography

São Miguel that makes you realize just how small you are, without making you feel insignificant. Maybe that is why this island got under my skin so quickly. I came here the first time knowing absolutely nothing about what awaited me. I left knowing I needed to come back. This time, I left with even more photographs, more friendships, more memories... and a little piece of the island permanently tattooed on my arm.

Two trips to São Miguel in six months, and somehow I still don't feel finished with this place.

So I won't call this goodbye. Until next time, São Miguel.